Fluid-distributing device,such as a hair dryer

ABSTRACT

A DEVICE, WHICH IS ADAPTED TO DIRECT A FLUID TO A GIVEN SPACE. THE DEVICE INCLUDES A FLEXIBLE SHEET STRUCTURE TO ONE SIDE OF WHICH A GIVEN FLUID IS TO BE DIRECTED. A MANIFOLD IS SITUATED NEXT TO THE SHEET STRUCTURE, FOR RECEIVING THE FLUID BEFORE THE LATTER REACHES THE GIVEN SPACE. COMMUNICATION IS PROVIDED BETWEEN THE INTERIOR OF THE MANIFOLD AND THE GIVEN SPACE, SO THAT FLUID WILL FLOW FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE MANIFOLD TO THE LATTER SPACE. WHEN THE DEVICE IS A HAIR DRYER, THE SHEET STRUCTURE WILL DEFINE A BONNET ADAPTED TO RECEIVE BODY OF HAIR IN ITS INTERIOR, AND THE MANIFOLD WILL RECEIVE HOT AIR TO BE DIRECTED TO THE INTERIOR OF THE BONNET AS A RESULT OF A COMMUNICATION PROVIDED BETWEEN THE SHEET STRUCTURE AND THE MANIFOLD.

S. H. MAGID Sept. 28, 1971 FLUID-DISTRIBUTING DEVICE, SUCH AS A HAIR DRYER Filed Feb. 14 1969 2 Shoots-Sheet 1 FIG] INVENTOR. SIDNEY H. MAGID A ein M ATTORNEYS Sept. 28, 1971 s. H. MAGID 3,608,205

FLUID-DISTRIBUTING DEVICE, SUCH AS A HAIR DRYER Filed Feb. 14, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/az ' mvmv'ron F-m \W SIDNEY H. MAGID Q nv ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,608,205 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 3,608,205 FLUID-DISTRIBUTING DEVICE, SUCH AS A HAIR DRYER Sidney H. Magid, 201 E. 66th St.,

New York, N.Y. 10021 Filed Feb. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 799,433 Int. Cl. A45d 20/24 US. Cl. 34-99 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device, which is adapted to direct a fluid to a given space. The device includes a flexible sheet structure to one side of which a given fluid is to be directed. A manifold is situated next to the sheet structure, for receiving the fluid before the latter reaches the given space. Communication is provided between the interior of the manifold and the given space, so that fluid will flow from the interior of the manifold to the latter space. When the device is a hair dryer, the sheet structure will define a bonnet adapted to receive a body of hair in its interior, and the manifold will receive hot air to be directed to the interior of the bonnet as a result of a communication provided between the sheet structure and the manifold.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to fluid-directing devices.

Thus, for example, the present invention may be used in connection with hair dryers, which are adapted to receive hot air in their interiors for drying hair.

Known devices of this general type suffer from several drawbacks. Thus, there are known flexible sheet structures used in hair dryers, for example, but these devices operate with undesirably low efliciencies.

Moreover, such structures are not always capable of fulfilling their intended functions in the best possible manner. In the case of a hair dryer, for example, it does not infrequently happen that the bonnet presses undesirably against the hair which is dried so as to disturb the setting of the hair and thus prevent the proper formation of predetermined hair settings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a device which will avoid the above drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a relatively inexpensive structure which will achieve the desired results in a manner far superior to presently known structures.

It is in particular an object of the invention to provide a device which achieves an efiicient distribution of fluid.

Also, it is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement where even though a single-walled structure is used, nevertheless a fluid such as hot air can be very efliciently delivered to the interior chamber.

As a specific application of the invention, it is also one of the objects thereof to provide an inexpensive but highly eflicient hair-dryer device which will not unde sirably disturb a given hair setting and which can be very readily and conveniently mounted around and removed from the hair which is to be dried.

According to the invention the device includes a sheet means, preferably a flexible heat-sealable plastic, to one side of which fluid is to be directed. A manifold means is connected with and located next to the sheet means and this manifold means also preferably includes a heat sealable plastic sheet material. The manifold means is formed with fluid-discharging openings. A communication means may provide, between the interior of the manifold means and one side of the sheet means, a communication which will provide for a flow of fluid from the interior of the manifold means to the one side of the sheet means without any escape of the fluid from between the manifold means and sheet means. Thus, the sheet material of the manifold means may have a heatsealed connection with the sheet material of the sheet means in such a way that openings of the manifold means which are respectively aligned with openings of the sheet means provide a communication directing the fluid from the manifold means to the one side of the sheet means without the possibility of escape of the fluid from between the manifold means and sheet means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a hair-drying bonnet of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of structure of the invention used to form part of the bonnet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation of the structure of FIG. 2 taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and showing at a scale which is enlarged as compared to FIG. 1 an elastic band assembly located along the bottom edge of the bonnet;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and showing, also at an enlarged scale as compared to FIG. 1, a snap-fastener arrangement for connecting the ends of the band of FIGS. 1 and 4 to each other; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary illustration of another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, and to FIGS. 2 and 3 in particular, it will be seen that the structure of the invention includes a sheet means 10 to one side of which fluid is to be directed. The sheet means when used in a hair dryer, for example, is adapted to define at least part of a hollow interior chamber into which a fluid is to be directed. In the position of the parts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the sheet means 10 is in the form of a flat sheet 12 of a heat-scalable plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride, for example. The surface of the sheet 12 which is to be. loctaed at the exterior of a hollow finished structure is visible in FIG. 2. Next to this exterior surface of the sheet means 10 is located a manifold means 14, shown in expanded fluid-containing condition in the drawings. This manifold means 14 is itself made of a flexible sheet material which is also preferably heat-scalable, such as polyvinyl chloride. However, it is also possible to use other sheet materials such as fabrics with impervious coatings.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is the lower surface of the sheet 12 illustrated in FIG. 3 which will form the inside surface of the sheet means when it is used to define part of a hollow interior chamber to which fluid will be directed in a manner described below. A communication means 16 coacts with the sheet means 10 and manifold means 14 for providing therebetween a communication which will achieve a flow of fluid from the interior of the manifold means 14 to one side of sheet means 10 or into the interior of a chamber defined by the sheet means 10. This communication means 16 includes in the illustrated example a series of openings 18 formed in the sheet means 10 and a series of openings 20' formed in the manifold means 14 and respectively aligned and communicating with the openings 18.

As may be seen particularly from FIG. 3, the manifold means 14 is made of an inner sheet 22 and an outer sheet 24. Before the outer sheet 24 is joined to the inner sheet 22, this inner sheet 22 is placed on the sheet 12. With the sheets 12 and 22 thus situated against each other known seal and tear dies are directed through the sheets 22 and 12 to form the aligned openings 20 and 18 in such a way that when the openings are formed the sheets 12 and 22 are also heat-sealed to each other along the edges of the sheets which define the openings 18 and 20. Thus, the communication means 16 is in fact formed in this case by wall portions of the sheets 12 and 22 which are respectively formed with the openings 18 and 20 and which are fixed to each other by the heat sealing along the edges of the wall portions which define the openings 18 and 20.

The vinyl sheets 12 and 22 are preferably fused or welded to each other along the edges which define the openings 18 and 20 thereof by a known electronic welding assembly. Before the outer sheet 24 of the manifold means 14 is joined to the inner sheet 22 thereof, a suitable metal, grounded plate is situated between the sheets 12 and 22 along those regions where the sheet 24 is to be joined with the sheet 22. This joining will take place also by electronic heat-sealing, and this sealing will be arranged along a path which will define the outer configuration of the manifold means 14. In this case also the heat-sealing die can be used to remove excess sheet material of the sheets 22 and 24 which extend beyond the line where the sheets are heat-sealed to each other so that in this way only a manifold means 14 such as that indicated in FIG. 2 will remain. By situating between the joined sheets 12 and 22 a barrier such as the metal grounded plate referred to above, the sealing of the sheet 24 to the sheet 22 will not have any of the heat thereof transmitted between the sheet 22 and the sheet 12 so that the latter pair of sheets will only be joined to each other along the edges which define the openings 18 and 20. This relationship is particularly apparent from the left of FIG. 3.

The joining of the sheet 24 to the sheet 22 which has a size and shape identical to sheet 24 is carried out so as to leave at one end of the manifold means 14 an opening 28 by means of which the interior of the manifold may be placed in communication with any desired source of fluid. At opening 28 the manifold may be hemmed to enclose an elastic band so that a fluid-supply hose can be inserted into opening 28 and elastically gripped to provide a fluid-tight connection. Moreover, since the manifold means 14 and the sheet means 10 are fastened together only along the edges of the aligned openings 18 and 20, the manifold means 1-4 is free to bulge at its outer and inner walls away from the sheet means 10 when a fluid under pressure fills the interior of the manifold means 14 without an undesirable deflection of the sheet means 10, as is apparent from FIG. 3.

In order to provide from the structure of FIGS. 2 and 3 a device such as the hair dryer 30 of FIG. 1 the sheet is formed into a substantially endless cylindrical configuration with the opposed edges 32 and 34 thereof located next to each other. Thus, the edge 36 of the sheet 12 will now have a substantially endless configuration, and at this time the edge 36 may be joined, as by heat-sealing, to a circular sheet 38 which forms a closed end for the bonnet or hair-dryer 30 shown in FIG. 1. The opposite end of course is open so that the body of hair can be received within the bonnet 30. Along the adjoining edges 32 and 34, part of the connection can be provided by way of a relatively short length of heatsealing 40 while the remainder of these adjoining edges can be releasably connected to each other by way of any known slide fastener 42, for example. Also, in order to permit air to escape from the interior of the bonnet 30 the sheet 12 is formed with a plurality of openings 44.

Along its bottom edge, formed by the edge 46 shown in FIG. 2, the sheet 12 has an elastic band assembly 48 fastened thereto so that this lower periphery of the honnet can elastically engage the user of the dryer. As may be seen from FIG. 4, the elastic band assembly 48 includes an interior elastic band 50 situated between the walls of a strip of folded sheet material 52 which can be joined in any suitable way to the sheet 12 at the exterior thereof in the region of the edge 46 as by stitching, heatsealing, or the like.

The band 48 terminates in a pair of ends 50 where are aligned with the slide fastener 42 and which can be releasably connected together by a snap fastener assembly 52. This assembly 52 may include, for example, an elongated flexible tab 54 joined in any suitable way, as by heat-sealing, to the exterior surface of the band 48 and carrying at its free end a plug 56 adapted to be snapped through an opening, such as the opening 58 formed in the sheet material 52.

Thus, with the device of FIG. 1, the sheet means formed in part by the sheet 12 and completed by the sheet 38 defines a hollow interior chamber which is adapted to receive the body of hair which is to be dried. The end 28 of the manifold means 14 is connected with a suitable source of heated air which flows into the interior of the manifold means which can fill up and bulge away from the sheet 12 without distorting the latter. The communication means formed by the joined edges of the openings 18 and 20 will direct the warm air from the interior of the manifold means 14 into the interior of the bonnet 30 without any escape of air from between the manifold means 14 and the sheet 12.

In order to mount the bonnet 30 on the hair which is to be dried, the snap fastener 52 is unfastened and the slide fastener 42 is opened, so that the entire bonnet can be placed around even a relatively large body of hair with a complex hair setting without in any way disturbing the body of hair. With the bonnet thus situated around the hair which is to be dried the operator will simply snapthe snap fastener 52 to its closed position, so that the band 48 will elastically engage the head below the body of hair. With the bonnet thus held in position it is a simple matter to close the slide fastener without disturbing the hair. Now the fluid can be directed to the interior of the bonnet 30. Of course the structure is removed just as conveniently by the reverse of these operations.

It is to be noted that while the invention has been described above in connection with a hair dryer the invention can be used with any device where a fluid is to be directed to a given space. For example there are individuals such as divers, aviators, astronauts, and the like who are required to wear pressurized coveralls. Such a garment can be provided at its exterior with the manifold means of the invention and with the communication means thereof so that air under pressure can be introduced into the interior of such a coverall type of garment to maintain the interior of the garment at a predetermined pressure.

Moreover, the fluid need not be a gas. For example, it is possible to provide a sheet 12 forming a wall, a poncho type of garment, or forming a bell-shaped enclosure in which an individual may be located with a central opening of the sheet surrounding the neck of the wearer. This sheet may also have connected thereto a manifold means 14 with the communication means of the invention so that water can be directed into the interior of the manifold to flow through the openings to one side of the wall or onto the wearer of the garment, and in this way the water can provide a shower. These are but a few of the general applications of the present invention.

Moreover, the communication means need not necessarily be in the form of a heat-sealed connection along the edges of openings. While this particular type of construction is indeed preferable in many respects because of the economy of forming the openings simultaneously with the heat-sealed connection of the manifold means to the sheet means, nevertheless it is also possible, for example, to provide between the manifold means and the sheet means a line of heat-sealed connection defining a limited space in which the openings 18 and 20 are located. Thus while such openings would in this case be in communication with each other there would be no heat sealing along the edges of the openings and instead the openings would simply be confined to a limited area Where the sheets 12 and 22 are joined to each other so that the fluid could not escape to the exterior from between the manifold means and the sheet means. Also it is possible simply to heat-seal the sheets 12 and 22 to each other along a narrow strip through which the aligned openings 18 and 20 are formed so that with such a construction the heat-sealing would not be confined to the edges of the openings but would extend between the openings and slightly beyond the openings. Furthermore, it is clear that while a substantially H-shaped arrangement of openings and a manifold of substantially H-shaped configuration is shown in FIG. 2 and may be suitable for use in a hair dryer such as that of FIG. 1, any desired configuration and distribution of openings and manifold means may be provided.

Also the manifold may be formed by extruded tubing adhered by adhesive to a flat sheet and the communication from the manifold through the tubing is made by holes formed by means of a hot or sharp tool.

It is to be noted that if desired the bonnet of FIG. 1 can be used with a wire stand for stationary drying.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it will be seen that a sheet means 100 may be provided which may be the same as the sheet means except that no openings are formed passing through the sheet means 100. This sheet means can have any desired peripheral edge. To one surface of the sheet means 100 an elongated manifold means 102 is fastened as by a line of adhesive connecting cement or the like 104. The manifold means 102 can have any desired configuration and may be made precisely in the same way as the manifold means 14 through heat sealing of a pair of identical layers of thermoplastic sheet material to each other with the layer next to the sheet 100 joined thereto by the adhesive 104. The outer layer 106 of the manifold means 102 of FIG. 6 is formed with openings 108, so that in this case the fluid in the interior of the manifold means 102 discharges through the openings 108 to the same side of the sheet means 100 asthat at which the manifold means 102 is located.

As is apparent from FIG. 6 the openings 108 of this embodiment can be situated at any desired parts of the manifold so that the fluid discharging through the openings 108 can be angularly directed in any desired direction. An end of the manifold means may be connected to any source of fluid such as hot drying air with an elastic connection such as that described above in connection with the opening 28.

With the embodiment of FIG. 6 it is possible, for example, to place the sheet 100 on any suitable support such as a table, a floor, or the like, with the manifold means 102 situated at the top side of the sheet. Then hot air is directed into the manifold means 102 so that it will flow out in upwardly inclined directions, but not straight up since the openings 108 are situated to one side of that part of the inflated manifold means which is most distant from the sheet 100. With such an arrangement it is possible to place washed articles of clothing such as sweaters or the like directly on the manifold means in such a way that these articles will not block the openings 108 because they are displaced to one side of the crest of the inflated manifold and thus the hot air can be directed upwardly through such garments to dry the latter very effectively.

It is also possible to mount a pair of manifold means 102, on both sides of sheet so that fluid can discharge from either or both sides of the sheet.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for directing a fluid to a given space, sheet means to one side of which a fluid is to be directed, and manifold means connected to and situated adjacent said sheet means for receiving a fluid which is to be directed to said one side, said manifold means being formed with discharge openings through which the fluid discharges to said one side of said sheet, and said manifold means having an inner surface independent of said sheet means, said manifold means being situated at the other side of said sheet means which is opposed to one side thereof, and communication means formed in part by said openings of said manifold means and coacting with said manifold means and sheet means for providing therebetween a communication providing for flow of a fluid in the manifold means from the latter to said one side of said sheet means without escape of the fluid from between the manifold means and sheet means.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said sheet and manifold means are flexible and said communication means is formed in part by portions of said sheet means.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein portions of said sheet means and manifold means which form said communication means include wall portions of said sheet means and manifold means respectively formed with openings which are aligned with each other so that fluid in the manifold means will flow from the interior of said manifold means through the openings in said wall portion thereof and through the aligned openings in the wall portion of said sheet means to said one side thereof.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said sheet and manifold means are both made of heat-sealable plastic and said manifold means having a heat-sealed connection with said sheet means at the region of said aligned openings.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein the heatsealed connection between said manifold means and sheet means is located at said wall portions thereof along edges which define said aligned openings.

6. The combination of claim 4 and wherein the heatsealed connection between said manifold means and sheet means is situated at only a relatively limited area of said manifold means so that the latter is for the most part separate from said sheet means and can expand and contract in response to the action of a fluid therein without influencing the configuration of said sheet means.

7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said manifold means itself is made up of an inner plastic layer located next to said sheet means and an outer plastic layer located next to said inner plastic layer and being heat-sealed thereto along a predetermined line of connection which defines said manifold means.

8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said sheet means defines a bonnet adapted to surround a body of hair so that when the fluid is hot air the latter will flow into the interior of said bonnet to dry hair situated therein.

9. The combination of claim 8 and wherein said bonnet has opposed ends, at least one of which is open, and has an endless side wall extending between said ends, said manifold means being situated at the exterior surface of said side wall and the latter being provided with a slide fastener.

fastener extending between said ends for facilitating arrangement of the bonnet around a body of hair, said slide fastener releasably interconnecting edges of said side wall which terminate at said open end of said bonnet, and a releasable fastener for releasably fastening said 5 edges at said open end prior to closure of said slide 921,287 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 7/ 1962 Mauch et a1. 34-99 9/ 1969 DAmato 126-204 6/1949 Kending i 34-99 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1963 Great Britain 34-99 CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner 

